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Formula: CaBi2O2(CO3)2
Anhydrous carbonate
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 6.56 measured, 6.47 calculated
Hardness: 2 to 3
Streak: White
Colour: White to bright yellow, or greyish-green, grey; light yellow to colourless in transmitted light
Solubility: Readily soluble in acids with effervescence
Environments:
Pegmatites
Hydrothermal environments
Beyerite is a rare secondary mineral in hydrothermal
mineral deposits
and granite
pegmatites,
formed by alteration of
bismuth-bearing sulfides and sulphosalts and associated with
bismutite (common),
bismutostibiconite,
atelestite,
preisingerite, pucherite,
eulytine, namibite,
clinobisvanite,
bismutotantalite,
bismuthinite and
bismuth
(HOM, Mindat).
Localities
The type locality is Schneeberg, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany.
In three pegmatites in south-central Colorado, USA (Mica Lode
and School Section deposits, Fremont county, and Meyers Ranch body,
Park county), beyerite is inter-grown with bismutite. These minerals
are supergene alterations of late, hydrothermal,
metallic minerals, native bismuth,
bismuthinite,
and various bismuth-bearing sulphosalts
(American Mineralogist.32.660).
At the Emmons pegmatite, Greenwood, Oxford county, Maine, USA, beyerite has been observed rimming tiny grains of native
bismuth. The Emmons is
an example of a highly evolved
boron-lithium-cesium-tantalum
enriched pegmatite
(R&M 94.6.505).
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